4th Sunday of Lent
Scriptures: 2 Chr. 36:14-16, 19-23; Ps. 137:1-6; Eph. 2:4-10; Jn. 3:14-21
We are celebrating today the fourth Sunday of Lent and we continue to reflect on the theme ‘journey’, which was inspired by Pope Francis’ Lenten message. Today, we shall reflect on yet another aspect of the journey. That is the journey made during the daylight much more pleasant and enriching. Most of us take up a journey during the day if we have to travel by ourselves. There are many benefits to travel during the day. It helps us to reach our destination on time. We know for sure that we will not miss the way. There is less danger in travelling during the day. The studies show that road accidents occur during the night. As a result, there are certain parts of the world, the long drive is not allowed at night. The day’s journey also allows us to meet new people, admire the most scenic places, etc. People prefer to take a rest at night to keep the daily routine of their lives. We can list many more benefits to travel during the day. We can thus conclude that journeys are preferred during the day.
While reflecting on today’s theme. There are certain truths that we need to keep in mind. The Israelites believed that fife is a journey that must be travelled. They undertook many journeys in their lives. The fathers of their religion travelled far and wide. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and David was known for their travel. The people of Israel undertook journeys to travel to Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, etc. The unforgettable journey of forty years in the wilderness; travelling from Egypt to the promised land; slavery to freedom left indelible memories on the mind of Jews till this date.
There is yet another aspect of their belief; Israelites believed that they were called to walk in the light by God. They believed that God was the source of lights, God is light. The story of creation made them realise that it was God who created light (Gen. 1:3). They also believed that darkness represented everything that is anti-God. If God is light, then the darkness is evil. God’s holiness and goodness was seen in contrast to the darkness of evil and sin. There are so many references in the Old Testament to light. The light is referred to God and His Word (Ps. 119:105), with his salvation (Is. 9:2), with his goodness (Gen. 1:4), with his truth (Ps. 43:3), with his commandments (Prov. 6:23). One of the famous quotes of the Bible is the invitation to walk in the light of God (Is. 2:5).
Today’s first reading gives us a summary of Israel’s journey. God sent his messengers to guide them as lights on their journey but Israelites refused to receive them. They preferred to walk in the darkness of sins. Their evil practices brought destruction upon them. Their temple was destroyed; they were taken to Babylon; they were made servants of Pagan kings. They suffered because they refused to walk in the light of God; they refused to listen to God’s messengers who were actually the lights to their path.
They were in total darkness for seventy years in Babylon. Today’s psalm depicts the real picture of their sorry state in Babylon. It says, “we sat and wept when we remembered Zion”. They could not forget the goodness they experienced in Jerusalem. In such a difficult situation, God chose to send light in the person of a non-Jew. It was unimaginable and unthinkable that God would send a liberator who was a non-Jew. God made it possible for them so that they may return to their home land.
Today’s Gospel also gives us an account of a person who travelled in the night (Jn. 3:2). We do not find this reference in today’s Gospel. but Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. He represents the ruling party of Jewish authority in Jerusalem. He was a member of the Sanhedrin who functioned as the lower courts. Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was the final court of appeals for matters regarding Jewish religion. This was the group which ultimately condemned Jesus to death on the cross.
Nicodemus visited Jesus at night because from the Jewish point of view, he was afraid of his colleagues or he was feeling ashamed of meeting him in the daylight; and from the Roman point of view, the Sanhedrin were considered to be highest Jewish authority. Most of them were looked with suspicion by the Roman officials as rebels. There were devout Jews. They were looking for a messiah who would deliver them from the clutches of Roman.
Nicodemus realised that Jesus was a good teacher. He believed that God was with Jesus without which He would not have done the signs. Nicodemus who walked in the night which was the present state of Israel had seen the light in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus knew what was in the mind of Nicodemus. Jesus opened his mind about the real kingdom, not the political one. He outlined what should be done to be part of the kingdom. One has to believe in Son of Man who would be lifted up and be born in the water (baptism) and the Holy Spirit.
This was the core message of Jesus to the people of Israel. In the Gospel, St. John, the Evangelist introduces Jesus as the light to the world. He says, he is the true light that gives light to everyone (Jn:1:1-9). Later, Jesus declared himself that He was the light of the world (Jn. 8:12; 9:5). Jesus was to bring them out from the darkness. Jesus confronts that people preferred to be darkness to light because they love evil and hate light and truth. Nicodemus chose Jesus in the night as the light for his life, therefore he could find a way to Golgotha. He came along with Joseph of Arimathea to bring down the body of Jesus from the Cross. He applied spices to his body before laying it in the tomb (Jn. 19).
Today’s liturgy invites us to journey in the light of God. God promises five things to those who walk in His light in the book of Psalm (Ps. 84:11-12). Firstly, He will show the way, He will provide His protection, He will bestow his grace upon them, He will honour them and He will bless them. Nicodemus chose to walk in the light of God. Let us also journey in the light of Christ that we may find ourselves in his kingdom.